Combination-tool.



R, c.l JOHNSON. COMBINATION TOOL. APPL'IOATION FILED APRA), 1909. 932,710.- 41mi-,enma-Aug. 31; 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. G. JOHNSON.

l ooMBINATIoN TooL. APPLIOATIQN FILED .LPB..9, 1909. 932,710. Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

y HHH!! HULL S11/venta 3l/Winans ROBERT C. JOHNSON, OF FORT BENTON, MONTANA.

COMBINATION-TOOL.

specification ofretters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

Application filed April 9, 1909. Serial No. 488,877.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT C. JOHNSON, a

citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Fort.

and I do hereby declare the following to be j a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suoli as will enable others skilled inf the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in combination tools and moreparticularly to the kind employed'by wire-fence Workers.

It has forv its object the provision of a tool embodying a hammer, wire cutter, and staple puller.

Another object is the provision of a construction whereby the tool -may be employed as a splicing implement.

With these and other objects in View as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fullyA described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It beino understood that various changes in the orm, proportion, size and minor details of the device may be made without departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the speoiiication:-Figure l isa front elevation 'of the device. Fig. 2 isa similar view with the jaws partly open. Fig. 3 is a frontend elevation. Fig. 4 isa side elevation showing the jaws fully distended and employed as a splicer. Fig. 5 is a detailed side elevation of one aw member. Fig. 6 is a detailed end elevation of one jaw member. Fig. 7 is a detailed side.

eleyation of the opposite jaw member. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectionalview taken on the line 8-8, Fig. 4.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate corresponding'. parts throughout. t

As shown in the drawings the device consists of a pair of handles designated by the numerals 5 and 6. The handles are of convenientlengths and diameters so that when brought together they may be conveniently gripped by the hands of the operator. Each handle terminates at one end in a jaw meniber, these members interlock and are so formed that they combine a staple puller, wire cutter andv hammer. The handle member 6 tapers outwardly from its free end so that its jaw is considerably thicker than the free end of the handle, this jaw in addition to being thickened is extended laterally in opposite directions and on curved lines as shown at 7 and 8. The curvature of the side S is compound while that of the side 7 curves downwardly to a point adjacent the horizontal center of the jaw whence it terminates in a forwardly directed straight line 9 which constitutes a hammer head. The compound curvature of the side 8 extends to a point substantially in alineinent with the horizontal center of the handle and terminates in a reduced and inwardly directed oblique portion l() which is sharpened to a point and constitutes the claw of a staple puller. That portion of the jaw beginning at the inner side of the handle 6 is curved downwardly' and outwardly, corresponding to the curvature 7 and straight line 9 as shown at 11 and the inner face of the jaw disposed between the curved portion l1 and curved side S is reduced in thickness approximately to one half the thickness of the hammer head 9. A longitudinal seat Il isformed on the inner faceof the jaw and at the inner side ot the reduced portion the inner side of this seat follows, the curvature of the curved portion 1l and extends substantially the entire length of the head while its opposite side is straight except at its outer end portion where it curves outwardly and laterally as shown at 12, the function of which will appear later. That portion of the head extending from the end of the hammer head 9 inclines upwardly on a straight line as shown at 18 and terminates below the plane of the staple claw 10 and a substantially U shaped socket 14 which extends into the reduced portion of the jaw is formed at the end of the inoline 13 and one side of which is in a plane with the sharpened point of the claw 10.

The opposite handle 5 terminates in a jaw which is considerably less in diameter than the jawV just described and corresponds in thickness to the reduced portion of the firstnamed jaw. This jaw is extended laterally on one side on a curved line 14 which bears on the curved inner side of the hammer head 9, the curvature extending to a pointsubstantially in alinement withthe-horizontalcenter of the handle where it is somewhat thickened as shown at 15 and slightly overhangs the inner face of the jaw. This thickened portion has its opposite sides inclined inwardly to a sharpened portion which constitutes the cooperating staple claw and which bears on the sharpened end 10. Owing to the position of the parts when they are connected by a suitable pivot pin 17 which extends through the center of each head the thickened portion 15 on the inner face of the last described jaw will seat in the seat l1 when the jaws are turned on their pivot. The base of the jaw is thickened as shown at 18 and the inner face of this thickened portion is curved so as to form a bearing shoe on the compound curved side 8 of the first-named jaw. The opposite side of the second-named jaw curves slightly outward as shown at 19 for the greater portion of its length and terminates in an inwardly curved port-ion which ends in a point' below the plane of the second-named staple claw 15. An obliquely directed U shaped socket is formed at the end of the inwardly curved portion and corresponds in depth to the U shaped socket 13 and like the latter has one side in a plane with the sharpened point 15 of the second-named claw. The inner face of each of the claws 10 and 15 is concaved as shown at 16 so that an opening will be formed between the jaws when brought together, of sufficient diameter to accommodate the ordinary staple. The U shaped sockets 14 and 20 are so positioned that when the points of the claws 10 and 15 bear one upon another these sockets will be out of registration and owing to this construction they will constitute a wire cutter. Thus it will be seen with the construction thus far described that the device may be used both as a hammer, a staple puller and wire cutter. It will be seen that the staple puller is so constructed that when the claws engage an embedded staple, the curved side 8 will act as a fulcrum for the device whereby the strain will be taken from the pivot 17. It will be further observed when the device is employed as a wire cutter that the strain will be taken from the pivot by virtue of the curved side of the small jaw bearing on the inner curved side 11 of the hammer head.

By referring now to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the device may be employed as a wire splicer. When used in this connection an elongated opening 20 is formed at the base of the smaller jaw and the thickened portion 18. This opening extends through the outer and inner sides of the base and is of a diameter sutlicient to receive a coupling member. then splicing the ends of two wires by means of the device the said ends 21 and 22 are bent and twisted to form small eyes and loops. A splice wire is then employed which wire is also bent at one of its ends to form an eye 23 which is threaded through the eyes of the two wires to be spliced, the opposite end 24 of the splice wire is then threaded through the eye 23, the said opposite end being then extended through the elongated opening 20 and curved around the thickened base portion of the jaw. Then the parts are in this posit-ion the handles 5 and G are opened so as to be substantially at right-angles to each other. The device is then rotated by grasping the opposite handle G and swinging it with the handle 5 as an axis. As the tool is rotated the splice wire will be wound upon the handle 5 and will naturally be shortened so as to bring the ends of the wires to be spliced toward each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. When the parts become sufficiently taut the free end portion ofthe splice is then bent and twisted upon itself to form a closed eye and the handle disengaged from the wire. Thus it can be seen that I have provided a device which is comparatively simple in structure and inexpensive to manufacture; which embodies the combination of the ordinary tools employed in building wire fences.

Having thus described my invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A combination tool comprising a pair of pivoted jaw members one of which is provided with a curved side which bears upon a thickened portion of the opposite jaw member, each of said jaw members terminating at their outer ends in laterally extending claws, the opposed inner faces of which i are coneaved and spaced from each other except at their outer ends where they meet when said jaws are brought together.

2. A combination tool comprising a pair of handles each terminating at one end in jaws one of said jaws having a released portion terminating in a hammer head, the other of said jaws having a curved side bearling on said hammer head and each of said having interlocking jaws, one of said handle movement with respect to each other as for members being flattened adjacent its jaw and the purpose described. 10 provided through its flattened portion with In testimony whereof, I affix my signaan opening designed for the reception of the ture, in presence of two witnesses.

:free end of a splice wire, the other of said ROBERT O. JOHNSON. handle members adapted to be turned at Witnesses: rightangles to the first-named handle, EVER NIELsoN,

whereby the members may have a turning HELEN SHERRY. 

